Comments on: Me fail English? That’s unpossible http://www.johnband.org/blog/2008/02/27/me-fail-english-thats-unpossible/ The idle musings of John B Mon, 02 Jan 2012 17:27:31 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v= hourly 1 By: John B http://www.johnband.org/blog/2008/02/27/me-fail-english-thats-unpossible/comment-page-1/#comment-29803 John B Thu, 28 Feb 2008 12:26:22 +0000 http://www.johnband.org/blog/2008/02/27/me-fail-english-thats-unpossible/#comment-29803 Aye, but if you say "this is how clever 14-year-olds ought to be" and then 60% of them achieve it, then that doesn't strike me as too dire a failure. (the level they missed is the level that 14-year olds in general are expected to achieve, not the level that <i>they</i> were expected to achieve, in case the poor choice of language in the press report has confused anyone...) Aye, but if you say “this is how clever 14-year-olds ought to be” and then 60% of them achieve it, then that doesn’t strike me as too dire a failure.

(the level they missed is the level that 14-year olds in general are expected to achieve, not the level that they were expected to achieve, in case the poor choice of language in the press report has confused anyone…)

]]> By: Stephen Newton http://www.johnband.org/blog/2008/02/27/me-fail-english-thats-unpossible/comment-page-1/#comment-29801 Stephen Newton Thu, 28 Feb 2008 11:22:31 +0000 http://www.johnband.org/blog/2008/02/27/me-fail-english-thats-unpossible/#comment-29801 I don't think you've got this one right. The report says 'Four in 10 boys aged 14 in England did not attain the level they were expected to...' Not that they were below average. I don’t think you’ve got this one right. The report says ‘Four in 10 boys aged 14 in England did not attain the level they were expected to…’

Not that they were below average.

]]> By: John East http://www.johnband.org/blog/2008/02/27/me-fail-english-thats-unpossible/comment-page-1/#comment-29760 John East Wed, 27 Feb 2008 23:07:59 +0000 http://www.johnband.org/blog/2008/02/27/me-fail-english-thats-unpossible/#comment-29760 "The general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, Steve Sinnott, said one reform Mr Knight should introduce was the removal of the current testing and performance table regime." This has to be the answer. Sit through 7 years of school doing bugger all, and pick up your A-star distinction certificates on the last day. “The general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, Steve Sinnott, said one reform Mr Knight should introduce was the removal of the current testing and performance table regime.”

This has to be the answer. Sit through 7 years of school doing bugger all, and pick up your A-star distinction certificates on the last day.

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